Joint for reinforcing elements.



G. C. BRAUMULLER.

lOlNT FOR.REINFORCING ELEMENTS.

APPLICATION min MAR.20,1915.

l ,ww Patented oct. 24,1916.

/l TTUHNEY GEORGE C. BRAUMULLER, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TOCHARLES F. VARNEY ANDk PETER IGOE, BOTH OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

JOINT FOR REINEORCING ELEMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (1ct. 211, 1916.

Application filed March 20, 1915. Serial No. 15,703.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. BRAUMUL- LER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Joints forReinforcing Elements7 of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to certain improvements in joints forreinforcing elements and more particularly to an improved means forrigidly securing together two superposed reinforcing bars which aredeformed so as to have interlocking engagement.

I have illustrated my invention in connection with a type of bar inwhich there are side flanges bent to sinuous or wavy form so as topresent projections and depressions adapted to fit together and preventrelative longitudinal movement of the bars when the latter aresuperposed in proper registry. For holding the bars in this position, Iprovide a clamp and a wedge adapted to be driven between one of the barsand the opposed clamp portion.

The main object of my invention isfto so form and design this wedge inrelationship to the parts with which it coperates so that after it hasbeen driven into place, it may be very readily locked against returnmovement.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which similarreference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a constructionembodying my invention, the wedge being shown in the position which itoccupies when rst driven into place; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of theparts shown in Fig. 1, the end of the wedge being shown as split andspread apart; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;Fig. 1 is a side elevation similar to a portion of Fig. 1 but showingthe wedge distorted or bent to follow the depressions and elevations ofthe adjacent bar, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a form for attachingshear bars.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated one embodiment of myinvention in which there are employed superposed reinforcing bars 10 and11, each having a central body portion 12 and side flanges 13. There aretwo of these flanges lie in parallel planes.

sent a series of projections and depressions and the other edge of eachflange is preferably substantially parallel to the outer edge of thecorresponding fiange upon the opposite side of the body portion. Thedepressions of the flange on one side may come directly opposite to thedepressions inthe other flange on the same side, or the depressions ofone flange may come' opposite to the projections of the other flange onthe same side, as illustrated. Any number of bars of this character maybe directly superposed `and the projections of the two flanges of onebar will enter the depressionsof the opposed flanges of the adjacentside of the other bar so that the bars cannot move longitudinallyrelativelyto each other except upon a corresponding lateral or outwardmovement. For preventing such movement, I provide a clamp adapted toencircle the superposed bars. As shown, I employ a rod or bar 14: bentto lie along three sides of the superposed bars and terminating inhooks, loops, or apertures 18 at each end projecting beyond the otherside. A rod or bar 19 inserted through these hooks, loops or apertures,completes the clamp. The side members of the clamp will prevent the barsfrom moving laterally. In order to prevent one bar from rising out ofengagement with the bar beneath, I employ a wedge 15 which forms animportant part of my present invention. This wedge is preferably ofsubstantially the same width as a bar and at one end is of suchthickness that it may be readily inserted between the flanges of one barand the adjacent transverse portion of the clamp, while the opposite endof the wedge is sufficiently thick to prevent the wedge from passing allof the way through.

My improved wedge is slit lengthwise from the thinner end so as toprovide two separate prongs or lingers 16 and 17 disposed above the twoflanges of the adjacent bar. After the wedge is driven into place, thesetwo fingers or prongs are so bent or distorted as to prevent the wedgefrom return movement. This is preferably done not only by spreading thetwo flanges the contour of the portion of the bar directly therebeneath.A

As particularly shown in Fig. 4l, the projecting portion of the prong 17lies above a depression in the one flange while the projecting portionof the prong 16 lies across a projection. 'A light blow to theintermediate portion of the prong 17 and a similar blow'to the tip 'endof the prong 16, will bend these portions downwardly into thedepressions of the flanges therebeneath so that the wedge will beeffectively prevented from return movement. In some cases, I may bendthese prongs to make them follow the contour of the depressions andelevations therebeneath without any spreading apart of said prongs andin some `cases I may rely solely upon the spreading action.

I do not Wish to limit myself to the spe- .cific form of barsshown, asmy invention is applicable for use in connection with other deformedbars designed to interlock when super-posed. By varying the size of theclamp, any desired number of bars may be held together.

My device may be used for securing together the overlapped ends of tworeinforcing bars so as to eifectively prevent any longitudinal movementof one in respect to the other as shown in Fig. 1, or it may be used forattaching a shear bar to one or more tension bars as shown in Fig. 5.The wedge may be inserted either above or below the bars and the clampmay be made of a rod or bar, or round, square, or any other desiredcross section.. The size of the bar used in making the clamp may bevaried in accordance with the size of the reinforcing bars and thestrain towhich the clamp is to be subjected.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a pair of metal reinforcing bars provided with aplurality of projections and depressions fitted together and adapted toprevent relative lonn gitudinal movement of said bars and at least oneof said bars presenting projections and depressions on the side oppositeto the other bar, and a metal clamp surrounding said bars and adapted toprevent the relative lateral displacement of said bars, of a wedgecooperating with said clamp and bars and adapted to hold them firmlytogether, the said wedge having the smaller end thereof slittedlengthwise to provide two separate prongs and distorted after insertion.

2. The combination with a pair of metal reinforcing bars provided with aplurality of projections and depressions fitted together and adapted toprevent relative longitudinal movement of said bars and at least one ofsaid bars presenting projections and depressions on the side opposite tothe other bar, and a metal clamp surrounding said bars and adapted toprevent the relative lateral displacement of said bars, of a wedgecooperating with said clamp and bars and adapted to hold them firmlytogether, the said wedge having the smaller end thereof slottedlengthwise to provide two separate prongs, each disposed above separatedepressions or elevations of the adjacent bar and each distorted afterinsertion to follow said last mentioned projections and depressions.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York, and State of NewYork this 19th day of March, A. D. 1915.

GEORGE C. BRAUMULLER. i

Witnesses:

ANN M. MURRAY, FLORENCE LnvInN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

